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A review by mepitts
The Anglo Files: A Field Guide to the English by Sarah Lyall
3.0
Ok, I’d start by saying I enjoyed the first half of this book—lots funny new insights, confirmation of some of my own observations,etc.
About halfway through, though, three things began to wear on me:
1. It seemed to me more and more uneven editorially—pulled together from a pile of newspaper articles, a few personal interviews and personal experiences—some short and some—the article on cricket, like cricket itself, going on forever.
2. The tone of the book seemed snarky rather than affectionate. No country is perfect (and her observations about the decorum of the US Congress are seriously out of date!). If a Brit were writing about America, I’d hope the observations were based n a balance of admiration and bemusement, but this author seemed tipped toward aggravation.
3. I listened to this as an audiobook and as others have said, the narrator’s attempts at British accents were embarrassing. Just a side note: why is it that Commonwealth people can do astonishing, pitch perfect American accents and Americans can so seldom do the reverse.?
Anyway—this might be good for skimming on a plane trip, but I’d only give it a qualified recommendation.
About halfway through, though, three things began to wear on me:
1. It seemed to me more and more uneven editorially—pulled together from a pile of newspaper articles, a few personal interviews and personal experiences—some short and some—the article on cricket, like cricket itself, going on forever.
2. The tone of the book seemed snarky rather than affectionate. No country is perfect (and her observations about the decorum of the US Congress are seriously out of date!). If a Brit were writing about America, I’d hope the observations were based n a balance of admiration and bemusement, but this author seemed tipped toward aggravation.
3. I listened to this as an audiobook and as others have said, the narrator’s attempts at British accents were embarrassing. Just a side note: why is it that Commonwealth people can do astonishing, pitch perfect American accents and Americans can so seldom do the reverse.?
Anyway—this might be good for skimming on a plane trip, but I’d only give it a qualified recommendation.